


The Fire We Were Burning

by purestilinski



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bisexuality, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jori - Freeform, LGBTQ Character, Light BDSM, Masturbation, Mild Internalized Homophobia, Recreational Drug Use, Sex, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:47:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22092061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purestilinski/pseuds/purestilinski
Summary: Tori tries to befriend the new kid at Hollywood Arts while working through her complicated feelings. What was supposed to be just another semester ends up changing her life.
Relationships: Beck Oliver/Jade West (at the beginning), Tori Vega & Original Male Character(s), Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 13
Kudos: 84





	1. Daniel Moretti

**Author's Note:**

> I love Victorious so much. Thank you, Netflix for streaming this show and reminding me of my childhood. This originally started out as something I wanted to do in my free time because the characters are very special to me. However, I've been working on this story almost every day for the last few weeks. So, I decided to post the first chapter and see if the story is something I should upload. I'm currently about three chapters in. I hope everyone enjoys it! I'm loving writing it!

It shouldn’t have surprised Tori that she wasn’t the only new kid arriving at Hollywood Arts that year, but somehow it did. Ever since she had joined, she was the odd one out. Even though a semester had gone by and she’d found her group of friends (well, friends and Jade) she couldn’t shake the sense of being the new kid. She didn’t have anyone who could relate to her until the Monday that Daniel Moretti walked through the front doors of the school. 

About twenty minutes before school started, the front doors swung open. For whatever reason, unlike the hundreds of other times Tori had ignored the sound, she glanced up. She couldn’t take in much besides his short and thin frame and his trimmed gentleman’s cut brown hair because he was walking at an absurd pace. He had crossed the hall like a man on a mission, heading toward Lane’s office. 

“Do you know who that was?” she asked Robbie, who appeared at her side a moment later. 

The boy shrugged, opening his mouth to say something when Rex cut him off. “That’s the new kid, Daniel somethin’.”

“How do you know that?” asked Robbie, looking down at his friend. 

“Northridge girls talk. I heard he went to some snobby West Hills school. He’s probably a douchebag.” 

Tori hoped not. She could use a friend who was in a similar position.

* * *

Jade’s presence at the front of the classroom had Tori focused, though she would never admit it to anyone. The raven-haired girl was doing a book review in their literature class and, though the book seemed at least somewhat readable from the little bit of information that had registered in her mind, the review itself wasn’t what had Tori attentive. It was the girl herself.

She hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. Her voice was monotone as usual, uncaring as she summarized and analyzed the book she had chosen. Her wardrobe was pitch black and leather against her newly tanned skin. Her teal eyes focused mainly on Beck but would occasionally roam the small gathering of students in front of her. She was the same old Jade and yet, for the last few weeks, Tori had started paying more and more attention to her. Tori chalked it up to spending so much time near her, both inside the classroom and at the lunch table. They shared almost all of the same classes and ate lunch with the same group every day. So, even if they weren’t friends (which they definitely weren’t) she supposed Jade had somehow wormed her way into her life to the point that she cared about focusing her attention on the other girl. 

Her presentation was interrupted when the classroom door opened. The entire class turned to stare at the culprit. Daniel “somethin’”, as Rex had called him earlier that morning, stood still at the back of the classroom, giving Tori a chance to fully take him in. 

Her partial assessment earlier had been correct. He couldn’t be taller than five-feet-five-inches. And he was thin. Not overly so, but thinner than most boys his height that she had seen. Though she had recognized that his hair was brown earlier, she hadn’t been able to take in just how light of a brown it was. Her hair, in contrast, was multiple shades darker. She couldn’t tell if he had any muscles because his body was covered by a black pullover hoodie and ripped black jeans. It looked like he’d taken a page out of Jade’s fashion book. In fact, as her gaze traveled to his face, she realized the similarities didn’t end with clothing. Though his eyes were a darker brown color, they held the same coldness that the goth girl’s eyes did. His resting face was expressionless as he took in the students who faced him. He looked every bit as cold-blooded and mean as she knew Jade could be. 

Before Tori could scrutinize the new boy any more, the door opened once again. This time, Lane stepped in. 

“Good morning, everyone. I hope we’re not interrupting anything too important,” said the school’s guidance counselor.

“No, just my presentation,” retorted Jade.

When Tori turned to look at the girl, she saw that Jade’s eyes were locked on Daniel. Tori internally rolled her eyes. It hadn’t even been two minutes and her frenemy was already trying to intimidate the new kid into submission. She then returned her focus to Daniel, whose unimpressed gaze stared right back at Jade. In the seat to her right, André shifted his position, clearly uncomfortable with the tense staredown. 

Lane cleared his throat. “Right...well, as some of you probably already know, this is our new student, Daniel Moretti. He’s a transfer student from Promenade High School in West Hills. If he needs help with anything, I expect you all to be welcoming and offer a helping hand. That includes you, Ms. West.” Jade grunted in response, causing Lane to give her a stern look before wrapping up his small speech. “I have a meeting with the principal in a few minutes, so be good. Otherwise, I’ll see you in my office.” 

With that, Lane departed the room and Daniel was left to stand by himself. He turned to look at their teacher, expecting her to give him instructions. 

Ms. Schmidt made a vague motion with her hand. “Please, take any seat.” 

The new boy once again surveyed his surroundings. His eyes briefly landed on the empty seat to Tori’s left. A spark of anticipation filled her only to deflate when he haphazardly tossed his backpack to the floor and sat down in one of the back row’s many empty chairs.

“Jade, you may continue your presentation,” said their teacher. 

The girl’s only response was a huff before she launched back into her explanation.

* * *

When class ended, Tori hurriedly packed her things. She wanted to introduce herself and to help out if she could. The first day at a new school could be tough, especially at Hollywood Arts. Their curriculum was unique and it didn’t help that most of the students were ridiculously talented. The new environment had sent Tori reeling for the first few weeks. She figured Daniel would appreciate someone looking out for him.

However, when she finally stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder, he was already gone. 

The next class passed in the same way. She took her normal seat toward the middle of the room and, moments after class had started, Daniel walked in and took a seat in the back. When class ended, he was gone in moments. She sighed in disappointment. Maybe she’d have better luck during lunch.

* * *

“What’s got you so distracted?” asked Beck as he took a bite of his pizza. 

Tori had been scanning the Asphalt Café, trying in vain to spot her new classmate. He must have decided to eat somewhere else. “Huh?” she asked when she realized she was being spoken to. 

“What’s got you so distracted?” repeated Beck. 

“She’s lookin’ for Mr. West Hills,” snarked Rex. 

“Shut up.” 

“Going after the newbie? My my, Vega, aren’t we desperate,” teased Jade. 

“I’m not ‘going after him’.” Tori gave Jade an annoyed look. 

“Well, what’re you doing then?” asked André. 

“I just thought I’d try to be nice and make him feel welcomed. I was in his shoes last semester. This school can be _really_ intimidating at first.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Especially because of Jade.” 

The raven-haired girl gave her a smug look. 

“Yeah, well I wouldn’t worry too much about Mr. West Hills. Dude held his own against Jade’s famous death stare.” André smirked as he redirected his focus to the goth. “If anything, you might want to be afraid of him.” 

Jade snorted. “I could break him if I wanted.” 

“Ohhhh...kinky.” A murderous look stopped Rex from saying anything else.

* * *

Tori saw her opportunity in Sikowitz’s class. When she opened the door, Daniel was among the few students already in the room. He had once again sat in the back, probably expecting that he would be allowed to remain in solitude. He didn’t even look in her direction when she set her backpack down loudly on purpose. PearPods plugged his hearing. All of a sudden, she was a little uncertain about her plan. He seemed to be pulling out all the stops to avoid interacting with his new peers. She had thought it was because he was scared and uncertain, but maybe he really did want to be left alone. Would he be upset that she sat next to him? 

She reached into her backpack and pulled out the script for a play they had been rehearsing. The movement got his attention. She met his gaze and gave him a warm, friendly smile. He returned it with an indifferent half-smile. Like a programmed response to unwanted social interaction. 

Sikowitz entered the classroom, followed by the rest of the students. Jade gave her a raised eyebrow as if to say “really?”. Daniel, realizing that he couldn’t avoid talking anymore, pulled his PearPods out. 

She gave him another grin in an attempt to make him feel comfortable. “Hey. My name’s Victoria. My friends call me Tori.” 

“Daniel,” was all he offered.

“Right! Good afternoon, everyone,” interrupted Sikowitz, signaling the start of class. “You all ready for some fun?”

“No.” 

“That’s the spirit, Jade.” With a sip of his coconut, the oddball teacher launched into his lecture.

* * *

For the rest of the week, classes went by in the same fashion. She forfeited sitting next to her friend and made a point to sit next to Daniel every day. Her efforts didn’t yield the results she’d hoped for. Five days of trying to break the ice and five days of failing left her feeling frustrated. The boy only spoke when spoken to and usually kept his responses short. He never answered any personal questions. She was trying to be a friendly face but she had hit a figurative wall. 

As she sulked over to the lunch table, Jade called out to her in a sing-song voice. “Aw, is Ms. Vega upset that a certain someone doesn’t want to be her new lover?” 

Tori fired off a glare, annoyed by Jade’s impression of her. The raven-haired girl winked. 

“Still no luck?” asked Beck. 

“No,” she groaned. “He just seems really indifferent about making friends.” 

“Not everyone can stand how insufferable you are, Vega.” At Jade’s comment, Tori jerked her arm back as if getting ready to throw her chicken sandwich. “You don’t want to find out what’ll happen if you actually throw that thing.” 

Tori growled in mock annoyance. Jade blew her a taunting kiss. Tori felt her cheeks warm and redden, so she quickly looked down at the table. Because, really, what the _fuck_? She had been feeling a little off all week and couldn’t figure out why. Thankfully, none of her friends seemed to notice and she quickly felt the flush fading. 

“Man, enough about the new kid,” laughed André. “We’re still good for mini golf this weekend, right?” 

“Yay, I love mini-golf!” gasped Cat.

* * *

Mini-golf was a great time to decompress. Though the semester had barely started and the group had hung out quite a lot over break, it still felt like a treat to be out with her friends. The fresh, cool night air created a peaceful breeze. The sound of Cat’s laughter, sometimes obnoxious, made her feel even more comfortable as she watched the redhead try (and fail) to hit her glowing golf ball into the hole. 

“One Coke for one Tori Vega.” 

Tori eagerly took the bottled beverage from André’s extended hand. Her singer-songwriter best friend raised his bottle. Tori brought her bottle up to meet his. “Cheers.” 

André made a satisfied noise. Tori grinned, her eyes catching sight of Beck’s rolled-up sleeves. Normally, she had enough sense not to stare at Jade’s boyfriend. She was feeling too relaxed at the moment, though, so she allowed herself the slip-up. Her gaze found its way to Beck’s back, where she could see the muscles through his shirt if she squinted hard enough. The soft tissues contorted as he pulled the club back on his backswing and brought it back down with precision to hit the ball perfectly. Her crush on Beck had been there since the first day of school when Jade had embarrassed her and brought her to tears. However, after she had kissed him in Sikowitz’s class during Alphabet Improv, she had made sure to push it as far out of her mind as possible. After all, she didn’t want to add fuel to the burning fire that was Jade West. She knew she should probably stop watching but the goth was engaged in conversation with Cat, Robbie, and Rex. So, she allowed herself a few more minutes to admire Beck’s attractiveness. 

She became so engrossed that she had forgotten André’s presence at her side until he made a big show of clearing his throat. She turned her whole body to face him in a useless attempt to hide her previous actions. 

“What’s up?” 

André’s look was one of amusement as he took a long sip from his Coke. “Whatcha lookin’ at?” 

“Nothing,” she replied quickly. “What do you mean?” 

“Uh-huh. Would this ‘nothing’ happen to be tall and reasonably attractive with the fluffiest hair the world has ever seen?” André paused dramatically, acting like he was deep in thought. “Would this same ‘nothing’ also happen to have a girlfriend? Who, might I remind you, is your mortal enemy.” 

She rubbed the back of her neck, sheepish that she had been caught in the act. By a member of their friend group, no less. “Maybe...y-yes.” 

“Do you have a crush on him?” 

“How could anyone not?” 

“Well, I don’t.” 

Tori breathed out a small laugh, the tension slowly seeping out of her. André could always put her at ease. “You know what I mean.” 

“He’s not perfect, you know.” 

“I know...but-” 

“But he’s Beck,” André finished for her. 

She nodded in agreement. “But he’s Beck.” 

They stood in silence for a few minutes, observing their friends as André let the new information sink in. Jade must have completed the hole while she had been distracted because Robbie was the only one still trying to finish it. Try as he might, he kept barely missing the hole. Each time he failed, the awkward teen’s swings got more and more clumsy. 

“Come on, Rob, you’re worse than Valentine,” taunted Rex. 

Robbie grumbled something that she couldn’t quite make out before renewing his focus. 

“Does anyone else know?” questioned André.

“No, just you.” She would have preferred if nobody knew but she had only herself to blame. 

“How long have you liked him?” 

“Since the day I started Hollywood Arts.” 

“Really?” He seemed surprised. 

“Yeah. Why?” 

“Nothin’, you’ve just been good at hiding it I guess.” 

An odd feeling clawed at her chest. André’s tone wasn’t accusatory, yet she still felt guilty. He was her best friend. That he told her everything would be an exaggeration, but he trusted her with a lot. Her crush on a mutual friend was most definitely something she should have talked to him about sooner. 

“I just...well...I guess it doesn’t matter. I can’t do anything about it. He’s our friend. And Jade would probably stab me with scissors if she found out. So, it’s best forgotten.” 

“Probably? Nah, she definitely would. But, hey, if you like him then you like him. It’s not exactly something you can control. So, no need to feel bad about it.” 

“I do though.” 

“Why? It’s not like you’re gonna try to steal Beck from her.” 

“Of course not! But...I don’t know...it still makes me feel slimy.” 

André wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. “I wouldn’t stress about it, Tor. There’s plenty of other things to worry about without making yourself feel guilty for crushin’ on Elvis.” 

“Thanks, André,” she said with a bright grin. He always somehow found a way to help her out. Even if the calmness she once again felt was only temporary, she was ready to enjoy the night again. 

“Vega, Harris, you coming?” called Jade impatiently. 

“Yes ma’am,” shouted André. “Come on, girl.” 

She let him guide her back to the rest of the group, who were ready to move to the next hole. 

“Did Robbie finally make it in?” she asked with a lilt. 

“Nope,” said Beck, popping the ‘p’. He hoisted up two golf clubs in his left hand. “Had to do it for him.”

* * *

When she arrived home, she took a hot shower. She had wanted to relax further, but all she could think about as the water sprayed on her skin was Beck. Allowing herself that one moment of weakness had brought back up all of her suppressed thoughts and feelings about the Canadian. 

One particular thought left her the most miserable: She and Beck were strewn out on the couch, the taller boy’s frame above hers as he cupped her cheek and kissed her. He moved down, planting his lips at the junction of her shoulder and neck. She tried to arch her back but he held her firmly in place, one of his hands reaching under her shirt to travel the new expanse of skin.

Arousal mixed with shame left her conflicted. She was inches away from giving in to her desires, desperate to relieve the growing tension in her lower stomach. Before she could, two heavy knocks startled her out of her daze. 

“Tori!” shouted a bothered Trina. 

“Ugh, what?” she yelled right back. 

“Hurry up! It’s almost midnight and I still need to shower.” 

Shutting off the shower, Tori stepped out and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her. Both the large mirror and the medicine cabinet mirror were fogged up from the steam. _Oops_. She rubbed her arm over the large mirror, wiping away the condensation to reveal the reflection of her bright red skin. _Double oops_. She hadn’t been paying attention to the temperature, her thoughts preoccupied with Beck, but, as she dried off, the excessive heat of her skin left her fidgety. 

Once she changed into her pajamas, she opened the door for her sister. “A ‘please’ would have been nice.” 

“Oh, would it have?” Trina’s tone was playful, which Tori was thankful for. She wasn’t in the mood to fight with her sibling in her current state. 

She collapsed face-first onto her bed, ignoring the homework she still had to do. It was for another day.

* * *

Midway through Monday and Tori had gotten herself in check once more. Her friends were discussing a new assignment that Sikowitz was supposedly giving them later in the day while she listened attentively. André made no mention of their talk. It seemed unless she slipped up again, that he was content with leaving that subject matter alone. She would make sure there wasn’t a repeat incident. 

“No.” 

“Come on, Jade. We’ve never worked on a project together this year,” pouted Robbie. 

“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way.” The raven-haired girl was cutting a picture while she talked. 

“Why?” Robbie sounded slightly hurt. 

Jade sighed. Realizing she might have been a little too harsh with their friend, she backtracked. “Look, Robbie, you know I don’t mind working with you. I just don’t like working with Rex.” 

“What’s wrong with Rex?”

“Yeah, what is wrong with me?” Robbie’s best friend replied flatly. 

“Oh, let’s name the things, shall we?” Jade waved her pair of scissors dangerously close to Rex’s face. 

“Hey, hey now.” Beck put his arm around Jade’s shoulder, tugging her closer to his side. “No need for the scissors.” 

Tori blew out a noise of amusement before quickly stopping herself. She prepared herself for a snappy remark from Jade but none came her way. Instead, Jade’s mouth was twisted into a tiny smile as she watched the Latina. When their eyes met, the other girl’s happy expression disappeared and she turned her body to face her boyfriend, burrowing herself deeper into his side. 

_Huh. Weird._

* * *

“Okay, who's ready for the next big project?” Sikowitz clapped his hands together, excitement evident in the way he bounced back and forth. 

“Nobody,” deadpanned Jade. 

Sikowitz gave her a thumbs up. “Jade, once again, love the enthusiasm.” He moved to the small table next to the class’s raised stage to take a sip from his coconut. “Some of you have been asking me about this all day, so listen up. Your next assignment is going to be a bit unique. In about a month and a half, the school is putting on an original musical play. Most of the songs are already written, save for the main one. So, after talking with the English and Music departments, we’ve decided to break you into pairs to write it. Each pair will be given the play’s script. You will read it before starting the writing process so that you have all the necessary information to complete a fitting song.” 

Tori’s eyes immediately found André, who was already looking at her. She pointed to her chest and then at him, cocking her head to the side as she did so. He connected his thumb and forefinger in a circle to form the ‘okay’ sign and gave her a wink.

Sikowitz, who saw the brief interaction, tutted. “Nuh-uh, Ms. Vega and Mr. Harris. I will be choosing pairs this time.” 

Students began chatting, displeased by the news. Sikowitz was disrupting many people’s plans, not just hers, and the pleased look on his face indicated that he knew exactly what he was doing. “Cat, you will be working with Monica. Robbie...Jade.” Jade groaned while Robbie fist-pumped. “Beck, you’re with André.” The two nodded at each other. Sikowitz continued listing pairs until the number of students dwindled to just a few. With everyone that she hung out with already paired up, she was growing annoyed. Her best friend had been her first choice for a partner but she would have rather worked with Jade than someone she didn’t know. “Tori, you’ll be partnered with Daniel. I trust you’ll help him during his continued adjustment period. This assignment is due in three weeks so the Music department can prepare the necessary choreography and yadda-yadda.” 

Or maybe she spoke too soon.


	2. The Party

Daniel, just as she’d predicted, had no reaction to the news. She wasn’t disappointed or discouraged though. Sikowitz had given her the perfect opportunity to get to know this enigma better and she was going to make the most of it. 

She handed Daniel his copy of the play after Sikowitz passed them out. Rather than speak, he simply nodded his head in gratitude. 

“You know, if we’re going to do this project, you have to talk at some point, right?” she joked, once again trying to melt the ice between them. 

He didn’t laugh but she could see the beginnings of a smile on his face. “Sorry.” 

She was going to have to work her way up from one-word responses but at least she had finally gotten some non-verbal reaction from him, even if it was something so minuscule. She decided to press her luck. “So, you do have some emotion after all?” 

“Watch it.” His tone was neither friendly nor unfriendly. It was simply flat. 

“Right.” She cleared her throat. Too far. “I think we should get each other’s numbers before we start, just so we don’t forget.” He nodded and pulled out his PearPhone. They passed each other their devices and typed in their contact information. “Have you ever done this before?” she asked, her eyes flitting over the front page of the script. The Houses of Old was the title, emphasized in an enlarged font. 

“Written a song?” 

“Yeah.”

“Nope.” 

“Oh.” 

Tension filled the space between them as the conversation was left hanging. She was beginning to wonder if it was going to be like this the entire time they worked on the project. She couldn’t fathom how someone could be so...indifferent about everything. During the week since he arrived at school, he hadn’t shown emotion. He didn’t seem nervous in his new environment. He wasn’t, from what she could tell, interested in any subject. He never smiled or laughed when a joke was made. The closest that he had come to doing so was the brief twitch of his facial muscles.

“You have though, right?” 

It took her a moment to process that Daniel elected to continue their conversation. “Huh?” 

“You’ve written a song before. At least, I’m assuming you have.” 

Wow. She’d somehow gotten two full sentences out of him. “Um, I’ve written a couple myself. Usually, I help my friend André.” 

“He’s the one you tried to partner with?” 

She nodded, a smile on her face as she described her best friend. “Yeah, he’s insanely talented. He’s like a child prodigy when it comes to this stuff.” 

Daniel looked as though he was filling the information away. A Word document had opened in his brain, where he quickly bullet-pointed a series of notes and saved them in a digitized folder titled Vega and Friends. She was going to have to start calling him Robot. 

“So, how do we want to do this?” 

Back to business, then. “Well, Sikowitz said we have three weeks to do this. So...first week we read the script? That way we have two weeks to write the song?”

A nod was all she got in response. 

She could tell this was going to be a challenge. But she liked challenges.

* * *

The traces of...something different that Tori swore she saw in Jade’s behavior were gone the next day. She was back to her icy self, more so than she had been in a long time. Although the two of them weren’t exactly friends, Tori felt like they had reached a mutual understanding. Whether or not they wanted it, they were stuck in the same group of friends. Sure, Jade had been there longer. But the group had accepted Tori like she had been there all along. André and Cat had quickly become Tori’s best friends and no one except for Jade ever expressed any negative feelings toward the Latina. So, they had to live with each other. Tolerating Jade became easier. And Jade had learned to do the same. At least, Tori thought she had. Maybe her thoughts were a bit of an overreaction. But Jade was being a bitch. 

She went out of her way to make sure Robbie knew how displeased she was that they were partners. She also made sure to lob constant insults at Tori. If they were in the same room, the goth made sure to torment her. Tori just couldn’t figure out why Jade was acting so different. It made her sad, in a way. 

Even Beck seemed surprised by the turn in Jade’s attitude.

“What’s gotten into her?” asked Tori when Jade was out of earshot. 

“I don’t know,” sighed Beck. “She was fine before we got to school.” 

It was puzzling to say the least. But Tori decided not to bring it up again. Maybe it was just a phase.

* * *

On Thursday, Tori was sorting her locker for the day when she heard the whispers start.

“What do you think happened?” 

“Should he see a nurse?” 

“What’s the other guy look like?”

“How much you wanna bet he got jumped?” 

She turned around and caught Daniel making his way through the hall. Her eyes immediately locked onto the damage to his face. There was a sickening dark purple bruise underneath his right eye. It was accompanied by a cut on his cheek. Though the boy who said it had been crude, he truly looked like he had been jumped. Was it on his way to school? Did it happen last night? Did his parents know about it? Concern bubbled up inside of her. She hardly knew this boy and yet she knew that she never wanted to see him in pain. Checking on him would most likely prove futile. But Sikowitz had essentially entrusted her with helping him so she was just doing her job, she rationalized. 

She closed her locker and fell into step next to him. “What happened?” she asked, worry lacing her tone. 

The shorter boy shrugged. The motion clearly made him uncomfortable. He did a pretty good job of hiding it, but she could see how tense his muscles were. His movements were too stiff to be normal. What had happened to him?  
“I fell off my skateboard is all.” 

Bullshit. “It looks like you got into a fight.” 

“I appreciate the concern but, really, I’m fine. It was just a skateboarding accident. Nothing to worry about.” 

“You’re a surprisingly bad liar.” The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. She closed her mouth immediately, regretting that she said anything. As much as she wanted him to be, this boy still wasn’t her friend. He was hurt and he was defensive. And it really wasn’t her business anyway. 

He raised an amused eyebrow at her and, for a moment, she completely forgot everything else because holy shit he had shown genuine emotion for the first time in two weeks. 

“I’ll see you in class.”

* * *

That night, she was strewn on her back with her head facing the bottom of her bed, reading the script for The Houses of Old. It wasn’t the most original idea for a play she’d ever seen but it was interesting enough. It kind of reminded her of a cross between an old western, a kingdom fantasy story, and Romeo and Juliet in a way. She was almost halfway done reading it. Her favorite character was easily Arthur, the youngest of the Abels. The Abels ruled over the mythological land. They ruled firmly but were still fair to their subjects. Loved by most and hated by few, the family’s only true enemies were the Lawrences. The Lawrences were a royal family from the East, led by Augustus and trained as assassins and mercenaries. 

Arthur was one of the land’s best swordsmen. No man or beast had ever bested him in combat. He had gone up against soldiers, werewolves, and giant spiders and emerged victorious through each and every battle. So, at the beginning of the play, he had set out with his horse Nightingale to hunt down the Lawrences. He was a badass through and through. A man with his own moral compass. All creatures of the night weren’t human in his eyes, they were just monsters to be slaughtered. And yet, he had just crossed paths with a vampire woman named Adreana who Tori could tell would be his love interest.

“Aw man, this sucks!” grumbled André. 

She made a mental note of where she was in the script before setting it down. She scooted down her bed until her head hung upside down over the edge. Her best friend was curled up in the middle of her ridiculously large pink Bean Bag, his head propped up in one of his hands. His face was scrunched in irritation at the script in his hands. 

“What sucks?” 

“I don’t want a dang love story. I’m in this for the monster-slaying and political assassinations.”

“Actually, you’re ‘in this’ because Sikowitz is making us read it,” she pointed out. 

André rolled his eyes with a smile. “Shut up, sista.” 

She laughed, running a pajama sleeve covered hand through her messy brunette hair. Had she been with anyone else besides André, she would have been embarrassed by her disheveled appearance. “They only just met. You don’t know for sure that it’s going to be a love story.” 

“I’ll bet you five bucks,” he said, reaching into his pocket. 

She shook her head which, because she was upside-down, made her feel a bit dizzy. “No, no. I’m not taking that bet.” 

André huffed in triumph. “See. Love story.”

“Well, what’s wrong with a love story?” 

“Nothin’ normally. But Arthur was right on Tobias Lawrence’s heels. Literally, like one town away from catching up to him and he stops his quest ‘cause of some vampire girl who, according to his own rules, he should be killing. Instead, he’s helping her escape werewolves.” 

She shook her head, suppressing a giggle. “I think you’re too invested in this.” 

“That’s ‘cause it’s the finest literature I’ve ever read,” he said sarcastically. 

She stood up from her bed and, after a brief stretch, offered her hand to André. “Well, I say we take a break from this fine literature and go get some lemonade.” 

“I like your thinking.” He grasped her hand and, with a huff of effort, she pulled him to his feet.

* * *

After filling two glasses, Tori set down her pitcher of homemade lemonade. 

“Okay, tell me what you think.” She set the glasses down on the kitchen table, where André was currently seated. At the sight of his propped up feet, she gave him a stern look. “Dude.” 

“What?” he asked, a playful smirk on his face. 

“Not where we eat.” 

“Not where we eat,” repeated André, attempting to impersonate Jade’s own impersonation of Tori. It was off, but it still got Tori to react. 

“I do not talk like that!” 

André laughed heartily. “So you keep sayin’”. He swung his legs off the table and took a big sip of lemonade. Tori watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened in both surprise and recognition. “This tastes just like Chick-Fil-A lemonade!” 

“Uh-huh,” she said with a grin. 

“How’d you do it?” he asked, staring at the glass in awe. 

“Maybe I’ll tell you for your birthday,” she teased him. 

“You’re cruel,” he pouted. 

“I know.” She shifted in place as a sense of uncomfortableness suddenly filled her. André’s words reminded her of something that had been bothering her. “Hey, can I ask you something?” 

André, recognizing the mood shift, tried his best to ease his tense friend. “I don’t know, can you?” 

She rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor and took a seat across from him. “Do you know what’s been going on with Jade?” 

André took a sip of his copycat Chick-Fil-A lemonade, pondering her question. “Nah, I’m not sure. I’ve known Jade for a long time and, while I’d say we’re friends, she’s not exactly the most forthcoming person. If she doesn’t want people to know what’s up with her, then people won’t know. Hell, I doubt even Beck knows. That’s just who she is.” 

“I guess,” sighed Tori. She had expected André’s answer but it didn’t make her any more satisfied. 

“Why, what’s wrong?” 

“I just...It’s dumb.” She tilted her head down, embarrassed. 

“If it’s bothering you, it’s not dumb.” André reached across the table, giving her hand a firm squeeze. 

“You have to say that. You’re my friend.” 

“Well, yeah. Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it though,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Shoot, chica.” 

“Well, I just thought Jade and I were making progress. She started out hating me for whatever reason. She still hasn’t told me why, by the way. Every day at school was like a fight between me and her. There were some days I genuinely didn’t look forward to because of her. Even though it might’ve looked like it, I didn’t hate her. I just couldn’t understand why she disliked me so much. I still don’t have a single clue. It’s taken a whole semester but recently it’s felt like she...tolerates me at least. We could go out together as a group without having to worry about getting into any serious fights. But, these past few days, she’s been like her old self. She can’t stand being near me. And, when she is, all she does is insult me. I don’t get her.” At the end of her tangent, she let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in. 

Across the table, André’s focus was on her as he guzzled down the rest of his lemonade. He rubbed the back of his hand over his lips before responding. “I didn’t know Jade was bothering you so much, Tori. You know that I wish I could fix this sitch for you but there’s not much that I can do. Honestly, I think I’d have as much success asking her as you would. Jade’s an enigma to us all.” A grin formed on her friend’s face as a thought struck him. “You know what’ll help you though?” 

“A nap?” 

“Nah...a party. This Saturday.” 

Tori’s immediate reaction was to say “no”. As energetic, outgoing, and bubbly as she was, she had never been a party person. Contrary to popular belief amongst her classmates, her social battery was not limitless. She preferred small group hangouts over full-blown parties. A warm cup of Lavender tea, her favorite blue and red blankets, and a sappy romantic novel sounded like a better way to spend her Saturday. But she knew André was trying to help her, so she tried to reject his idea smoothly. 

“I don’t know if I-” 

“You’re going,” interrupted André.

* * *

“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” said an unsure Tori, leaning over the granite counter as she watched André pour his concoction into three different red solo cups. 

Around them, the party was in full effect. Loud conversations thundered in her ears as teenagers stumbled in and out of the kitchen to grab both food and drink. She had to lean in close to hear her friends. 

“It’ll be fun!” giggled Cat, who had already downed a few shots of vodka.

André had played a few rounds of beer pong but he was gifted with strong tolerance to alcohol and, since most guys didn’t feel any effects after a couple of beers, he was completely sober. He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. “Don’t worry, Tori. It’s just Red Bull and vodka.”

“Yeah, but aren’t you like not supposed to mix those together? One’s a depressant and the other’s a stimulant.” 

André raised his eyebrows at her and grabbed the middle cup, taking a sip from it. He handed one to Tori and one to Cat. “Tori...Tori,” he tsked. “I brought you to this wonderful shindig. Therefore, I am your responsible guardian. And, as your responsible guardian, I am telling you to lighten up and enjoy. Try it.” 

“Do it!” exclaimed Cat, bouncing on her feet. 

Tori, realizing she was outnumbered with no way to worm herself out of the situation, took a defeated sip. As the contents burned down her throat, she set the cup down and recoiled away from the counter with a noise of disgust. “It tastes like shit.” 

Her friends laughed at her reaction, clearly enjoying her suffering.

“It’s not supposed to taste good, silly! It’s supposed to make you feel good,” said Cat. 

“Tell you what, drink that. Slowly. And if you want something else afterward, your responsible guardian knows some frou-frou drinks he could whip up for you.” 

Tori nodded, reaching for her cup and bringing it to her lips experimentally. “‘Kay, sounds good.” Her face scrunched at the taste but, this time, she powered through it and swallowed a few sips. 

André raised his cup to Tori in mock salute. “I’m gonna go find some of the guys and play Rage Cage. You ladies gonna be alright?” 

“We’ll be fine,” said Tori.

“Right as rain!” 

“Alright then, I’ll see you guys in a bit. If you need me, come find me.” With that, André slipped out of the kitchen and disappeared into the sea of teenagers in the living room. 

Tori glanced around, unsure of what to do. There were so many people that it was almost overwhelming. What did one do at a giant party? “Cat, what’s the plan?” She received no verbal response. Instead, her answer came in the form of a tall boy with spiky blonde hair. 

A shark tooth necklace rested atop a bright pink floral Hawaiian button-up, which contrasted with his less flashy brown chino shorts and desert sand-colored flip flops. All he was missing was long, curly hair and he would be the epitome of a California surfer. Her redheaded friend let out an ear-piercing squeal, throwing herself into the boy’s arms. “Shane!” 

The boy lifted her up and Cat wrapped her legs around his waist. “Hey, baby!” 

Tori stopped mid-sip, letting out a cough as she swallowed wrong. “I-I’m sorry. Did you say ‘baby’?” 

Cat turned her head toward her friend as much as she could, though her position made it a struggle. “Tori, this is my boyfriend, Shane!” 

“Wassup,” said Shane, giving Tori a bright smile. 

She gave him a half-smile back. “You didn’t tell me you had a new boyfriend.” 

Cat gave her a sheepish smile. “Oops…” 

Shane lowered his voice, probably intending only for Cat to hear him but Tori still could. “How about we go somewhere more private?” He gave her a long kiss for emphasis. 

“Lead the way,” giggled Cat. 

Tori opened her mouth to protest but it was already too late. The two were gone without another word. She groaned loudly, annoyed at being left alone by the friends she’d arrived with. She finished off her vodka and Red bull, grabbed a White Claw from the large stainless steel ice bowl on the kitchen table, and made her way into the living room. 

She had thought it was bad in the kitchen but, the moment she crossed the threshold into the other room, everything became amplified. This was definitely not the first rodeo for whoever was hosting the party. They had gone all out. The noise pounded against her skull deafeningly, causing her to stumble. She almost lost her balance due to the sudden shock but caught herself on the back of a couch. When she righted herself, she also took note of the overwhelmingly bright flashing RGB lights hanging from the ceiling. She was sure that she would have been blinded had she stared at them longer. Instead, she moved through the mess of sweaty dancing flesh, intent on working her way to the glass sliding doors that would take her to the backyard.

Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a couple having sex on the couch. However, she didn’t stop to look. She reached the glass doors, pulled them open, and took a big breath of fresh air.

* * *

Hours later and a variety of drinking games played, Tori found herself sufficiently drunk out of her mind. Her White Claw had turned into multiple Bud Lights (which she found repulsive), bitch cups with a vodka-lemonade mix (mostly vodka), and a few shots of whiskey. Her senses were completely dulled and, unless she was focusing immensely, she was having a hard time comprehending anything. André’s laugh boomed in her ears as she practically fell away from the table. 

“Y-you’re really...fuckin’ bad at d-drinking games, T-Tor,” said André, whose face was flushed a crimson red from their excessive drinking.

“S-shut...the f-fuck up,” she slurred, swatting him playfully. “Y-you messed,” she paused mid-sentence to hiccup, “m-me up!”. 

“N-not...my fault you’re e-easily d-di-di-”

“D-distracted?” she asked.

“Yeah!” 

She laughed at her friend’s inability to finish his own sentence. “I-I’m gonna find the bath...bathroom.”

* * *

If the downstairs wasn’t enough to convince someone that the homeowners were rich, the upstairs most definitely would. To reach the upstairs, she had to ascend the curved white granite staircase accentuated by frameless glass railings with a tinge of gold. When she got to the top, she was greeted with a smaller version of the downstairs living room. A wall-mounted 55-inch 4k HDR TV with a diamond-encrusted power button was the most prominent part of the landing area. On each side of the TV was a French wall sconce. Facing the entertainment system was a Fabio white leather sofa that had to be over ten thousand dollars. Across the long maze-like hallways were multiple pieces of art. She didn’t know what the pieces were or how much they cost but, judging by everything else in the house, they were highly valuable. 

After progressing through most of the hallways, she heard noises coming from one of the last areas she hadn’t checked. She turned a corner into a shorter corridor. At the end of it, a door that clearly led to a fancy bathroom was left ajar. Before she could stop herself and go find a different restroom to use, she snuck closer so she could see what was happening. What she saw left her already muddled brain in shut-down mode. 

Beck’s frame had Jade hoisted up on the sink and pressed against an antique mirror. Their lips met aggressively as Beck held Jade still. Jade struggled against his grip, moaning in pleasure. Tori’s eyes widened as they traveled down the pair of bodies to find the Canadian boy’s hand in Jade’s pair of ripped black shorts. The goth managed to free one of her hands and used the opportunity to cup Beck through his jeans. In the heat of the moment, the boy bucked against the pressure. Suddenly, Jade sprung up from the counter. The movement surprised Beck and there was nothing he could do except stumble backward, colliding with the wall behind him. It suddenly became clear to Tori that she wasn’t just witnessing a sexual act, she was also witnessing a battle for dominance. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised that this was what Jade was into. However, she didn’t peg Beck as someone this kinky. 

Jade unceremoniously shoved Beck’s khaki pants down. He made a move to step out of them but Jade’s hand shot out to keep him in place. “No. Stay.” The raven-haired girl’s voice was blown from passion but it was still authoritative. Beck obeyed and stilled. As Jade began nibbling on his neck, her hand started pushing at his underwear. Tori, upon realizing that Beck was about to be fully naked from the waist down, finally snapped out of her haze of shock enough to force herself to move. 

She staggered backward, the effects of both the alcohol and what she’d just witnessed compounding. In autopilot, she somehow found her way to what she was pretty sure were the stairs. Her vision was swimming and bile rose in her throat. Fuck, she had too much to drink. With each step she took, the bile threatened to be too much for her to keep down. 

Finally, after what seemed like forever in her misty daze, she practically fell out of the front door onto the outside pavement. She curled herself into a corner, making herself smaller as sobs and hyperventilations wracked her body. She wondered how long she’d been crying. Had it started when Jade and Beck’s lips met or after she had scrambled her way to the stairs? Why was she even crying? She blamed it on the alcohol. It had to be. Her crush on Beck was just that...a crush. She didn’t love Beck. And she definitely didn’t have feelings for Jade. She wasn’t a lesbian. She didn’t like girls like that. 

She received multiple weird looks as people passed by her and it was then that she realized she desperately needed to leave. She wasn’t sure how though. André had driven her there but he was in no condition to drive. In his current state, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to figure out how to even start a car. Her parents were off the table as they had no idea she was drinking. No one would be able to find her body if they found out. She supposed she could ask her sister but the moment the thought entered her head she realized it was a bad idea. At best, Trina would blackmail her. At worst, she would tell their parents the moment they got home. There was no way she could walk home. She probably wouldn’t be able to make it a half a block before keeling over. She was left with one option. It wasn’t a great one and she was sure the person was going to hate her for the rest of her life but she dialed the number anyway. 

“Hello?” grumbled a sleep-riddled voice. She must have woken up him. 

“D-D-Daniel?” On top of everything else, now she felt guilty. 

“Do you know what time it is?” His raspy voice had a hint of annoyance to it. 

“N-No.” 

“It’s 1:23 in the morning.”

When had it gotten so late? “Oh...sorry.” 

“Why are you calling?” he asked. 

“I-I’m at…” her brain struggled as if someone hit the pause button on her thought before she finally finished, “a...p-part...y.” 

“Are you drunk?” 

“As a s-skunk.” Daniel let out a snort on the other end of the line. “Can you p-pick me up?” 

Silence. And then, “We’re not even friends, Victoria.” 

It was probably the alcohol and her raw state, but his words stung more than they had any right to. He wasn’t wrong. They were acquaintances at best. “I-I know.”

A loud sigh accompanied what Tori thought was the sound of clothes being tossed on. “Where’s the party?”

* * *

Daniel’s sterling gray 2013 Ford Fusion came to a stop behind the cars in her driveway. The boy turned to face her. “Do you need help getting inside?” 

She nodded, too focused on her breathing to give him a proper response. He got out of the car and came around to her side. Carefully, he opened the door while ensuring that her slumped form didn’t fall out of the vehicle. 

He paused as his hand touched her shoulder. “I’m going to carry you, okay?” 

She nodded again. As best as he could, he picked her up bridal style. He fumbled with his keys for a moment before locking the car doors. He carried her to the front door before stopping, his face scrunched. “Please tell me you brought a house key with you.” 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key, almost flinging it in his face. Daniel took it from her, inserted it into the keyhole, and twisted the doorknob. As they stepped into the house, the boy looked around in confusion. Through the fog clouding her brain, she realized this was the first time he had ever stepped foot into her house. Wordlessly, she pointed to the stairs by the piano. He slowly made his way up, tightening his grip on her as he did. When they reached the landing, she pointed to her room. 

“T-that o-one.” She pressed her face into his warm neck. 

They crept across the hallway, trying not to wake anyone up, and opened the door slowly. Thankfully, she had left the lights on. He pulled the covers of her bed back and gently set her down. She pulled the covers to her chin, sighing in content at the sudden warmth. Daniel, now that his job was done, turned around to leave.

“Wait.”

The brown-haired boy halted, his hand hovering over the light switch. 

“Th-thank...you,” she murmured. 

She wasn't sure what she expected in response, probably irritation. Instead, he gave her a small smile, flipped the light switch, and slipped into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you guys enjoyed chapter two! More Jori moments will start popping up in a chapter or two, but I also need to establish Daniel's friendship with Tori. Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for reading! :)
> 
> Updated note: While this is a Jori fic, it is also about Daniel too. He is a prominent figure in this story and plays almost just as much of a role as Tori and Jade.


	3. Joints and Scissors

Tori woke up the next morning with a pounding headache that threatened to split her in half. The moment she tried to sit up, the world tilted on its side and she fell back down. Her head hit the pillow and she let out a long grunt. She recognized the feel of the pillow, of the mattress, and of the pink covers. She was at home. In her room. In her bed. 

How had she gotten there? The last thing she remembered clearly was playing Rage Cage with Andre and having to drink the bitch cup filled with vodka. Slowly, as her cloudy brain worked to catch itself up to her current situation, the events of last night came back to her. 

She almost wished they hadn’t. 

The taste of alcohol returned to her tongue as she recollected slamming back _way too many_ drinks. Instinctually, she leaned over the side of her bed, grabbed the small floral-decorated trash can, and retched into it. Thankfully, nothing came up. The sudden motion made her head spin, though, and she collapsed back into bed once more. 

What had happened next? She had gone to find the restroom, wandered up the grand granite staircase, ogled some ridiculously expensive household products, and then... _oh God_. She buried her head in her hands and let out a too-loud groan. Beck and Jade. Jade and Beck. Bade...was that what Sinjin’s friends called them? She felt herself getting overly warm as her brain re-enacted what she had witnessed the previous night. 

Her pulse sped up, thundering in her ears. The small nipples at the peak of her breasts grew taut and slight dampness spread in-between her legs, causing her to shift uncomfortably. She bit her lower lip, trying to stifle the growing pleasure she was experiencing. She couldn’t allow herself to feel this way. 

Beck was her friend. And Jade was her...Jade was Jade. 

She wasn’t even entirely sure what she felt towards the goth anymore. Regardless, Beck and Jade were together. It was inappropriate and disrespectful for her to feel the way she was feeling. Embarrassment flooded through her as she shamed herself for her emotions, quickly replacing the arousal from moments ago. 

What she recalled next made her want to suffocate herself with her pillow. Running through her list of potential exit options since Andre was too shit-faced. Calling Daniel, who she had woken up at an ungodly hour, who...had actually came to pick her up, who had picked her up bridal style and carried her to her bedroom because she had lost function of her boneless body.

They weren’t even friends, as he had bluntly reminded her. 

He probably hated her guts now. 

She wasn’t sure how she was going to get herself out of this mess. And since she couldn’t do anything until she recovered enough to get out of bed, she closed her eyes intent on getting a few more hours of sleep.

* * *

When she woke up next, it was to the custom ringtone she had set for her best friend. 

_I don’t wear designer clothes  
I don’t go to the finest schools   
But I know I ain’t no fool, baby   
I may not be a star  
I’m not driving the sickest car  
But I know I can make you happy, baby  
I don’t know what you been used to   
Never been with a girl like you_

Finally, as proud as she was of her friend’s hit song, she picked up her phone and rejected the call. With an annoyed grunt, she shoved her face back into her pillow. 

It wasn’t a few minutes later before Andre’s angelic singing voice filled the room again. 

_I don’t wear designer_ \- 

She practically pounced on the device, grabbing it off of her nightstand and answering the call. The movement made her queasy and she sunk helplessly into the sheets. “What?” she asked grumpily. 

“Tori, it’s me, Andre.” He sounded like he was coming out of a daze. Maybe he’d gotten a hangover too. Though he was a more experienced drinker than her and had a higher tolerance for alcohol, he had definitely drunk more than her at the party.

“I know it’s you.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Are you home safe?” he asked with concern. 

“Yeah...Yeah, I’m home. I’m good.” 

“Thank God. I had no idea where you went last night.” 

She felt guilt well up inside of her. 

She hadn’t told anyone that she had left. Not Cat. Not her best friend. She had left in such a panic that she failed to consider anyone else. 

_Yikes_ , now she felt even more like shit. “Shit, Andre, I’m so fucking sorry. I went upstairs to find the bathroom, and then I got lost, and then when I found the restroom I saw-” She stopped herself mid-ramble, realizing it was probably best that she left out the reason for her sudden disappearance. “I realized I wasn’t feeling well and left as soon as I could.” 

“It’s all good, girl. I’m just glad you’re safe. You had me worried sicker than when I tried Trina’s Pooka fish.” Andre laughed at his joke, though it made Tori feel worse than she already did. “Speaking of Trina, she pick you up?” 

“Uh,” she hesitated, not wanting to talk about it because she knew she had probably made the wrong decision. “No. Not exactly. I, um, I had Daniel pick me up.” 

She could hear the surprise in Andre’s voice. “Daniel...As in the new kid? Moretti?”

“Yep,” she groaned. “Don’t laugh at me.” 

“I’m not laughing,” he assured her. “How’d you get him to do it though? I mean...you guys aren’t even friends. Hell, from what I’ve seen, I didn’t think he could even be _friendly_. He’s been stonewalling you since his first day at school.” 

As if she needed a reminder. “Thanks, Andre,” she said sarcastically. “And, actually, I didn’t ‘get him’ to do anything. All I had to do was ask.” 

“Huh. That’s surprising.”

He wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, well, let’s just hope he doesn’t mention it on Monday. Because I am kinda super embarrassed about the whole thing.” 

“Don’t stress about it, sista. I’m sure it’ll all be fine.” 

Before any more could be said, Trina shouted at her from downstairs. “Tori! Get down here! Mom and dad let you skip breakfast, but you are _not_ skipping lunch too!” 

Andre must have heard her older sister through the receiver because he laughed boisterously. “I’ll see ya tomorrow, amiga.” He hung up the phone before she could respond.

“Coming!” she yelled back to Trina.

* * *

Monday morning, despite her best efforts to the contrary, she wound up on campus early. She had done her best to stall but, unfortunately, Trina had a meeting with Counselor Lang. Tori’s mom refused to take her at their normal time, insisting that she go with Trina. 

The ride to school was fine. Trina was not a bad driver (though Tori would not go as far as to say she was a good one) and their parents, while not exactly rich, were wealthy enough to buy Trina a modern white BMW 4-series for her birthday. So, while Tori wasn’t a car freak, she enjoyed riding shotgun in a nicer vehicle. It was what was waiting for her at school that had her on edge. 

Of course, with her shitty luck, she ran into Daniel almost immediately after saying goodbye to her sister and exiting the parking lot. 

She turned a corner to make her way to the Asphalt Café and found him sitting against the school building. He was dressed in an all-black wardrobe consisting of a faded hoodie, a simple t-shirt, and ripped jeans with a silver metal chain clipped from a belt hook to a pocket. She frowned when, between the knees pressed to his chest, she saw what looked like a cloud of smoke pervade the air. He looked up and gave her the ‘man nod’. 

“H-hey,” she said uncertainly. She took a whiff of the air, face scrunching up as she was hit with a skunky smell.

“Sup,” he answered.

The boy lifted his hand and that’s when Tori noticed the source of her curiosity. “Is that a blunt?”

Daniel inhaled deeply from a yellowish cone-shaped roll before exhaling slowly. “Nah, it’s a joint.” 

“There’s a difference?” she asked, not trying to mask that she knew nothing on the subject.

He laughed a genuine laugh that Tori was hearing for the first time. It sounded like he was trying to say “ha” over and over again, except his voice cut out after the “h” every time. She decided she liked his laugh and cracked a smile, her nerves at seeing Daniel after Saturday slowly evaporating. 

“Yeah.” He held it up for her to see. “See how the paper’s yellow and thin?” 

Tori wasn’t too interested in the differences as she had never smoked herself. However, Daniel was initiating non-school-related talk for the first time and she would be damned if she didn’t take the opportunity to get to know her project partner better. “Yeah.” 

“That’s ‘cause it’s a hemp joint. See, blunts are rolled with tobacco paper. Tobacco paper’s a darker brown. And it’s thicker too. Joints are thinner and usually made with plant fibers.” After taking a small hit, he extended the joint to her. “Wanna try?” 

She shook her head, readjusting the strap of her purse as she stood there. “No thank you. I’ve never smoked. Don't really plan to.” 

He shrugged, patting the space on the asphalt closest to her. “You can sit, you know. I’m harmless.” 

She snorted and tossed both her backpack and her purse to the ground before making herself comfortable next to him. “You look like the guy version of Jade,” she commented, her eyes glancing over his wardrobe once more. 

He raised an eyebrow, taking another puff. “That a good thing or a bad thing?” 

“Are you trying to look emo?” 

“I’m trying to look like me so, if that’s emo, then I guess so.”

A stupid grin was plastered on Daniel’s face and, for the first time since last Thursday, she took a closer look at him. The cut on his cheek was completely gone and the bright bruise underneath his right eye had mostly faded, leaving behind a mark that was only slightly darker than his skin color. 

“Your face healed up good.” 

“Still on that?” His tone was amused, not angry. 

“Still saying it was a skateboarding accident?” She asked teasingly. 

“No. But I’m not gonna tell you the real reason.”

His honesty was unexpected. 

In fact, her whole conversation with Daniel caught her off guard. She had prepared for him to be infuriated after her weekend fiasco. “Why not?” she couldn’t help but ask. 

“Gotta earn my trust first, Vega.” He tested out her last name on his tongue. 

She narrowed her eyes at him. Only one person was allowed to get away with the crime of calling her by her last name. “Only Jade calls me that, you know.” 

Daniel inspected her curiously as he brought the joint to his lips. His gaze reminded her of when Sikowitz had partnered them up, computer-like as he compiled and saved data. Whatever he was thinking, though, he didn’t say. Instead, he changed the subject to the play. “You finished the script yet?” 

“Yeah, I finished it on Friday. What about you?” 

“I finished it Wednesday. You want to work on it tonight?” 

“Yeah, does my house work for you?” 

“Sure.” 

“I’ll send you my address after school then.” 

“Already got it. Remember?” 

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She groaned, hiding her face in her hands. “I’m so, so, so sorry about that.” 

“Don’t worry,” he reassured with a short laugh. “If I was mad, you’d know.” 

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Jade turned the corner, the heavy sound of boots announcing her arrival.

The goth paused when she noticed them leaning against the wall, her eyes narrowing. 

Jade scrutinized them, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of them as if trying to determine something before she greeted, “Vega.” 

Tori averted her gaze. “Jade.” 

The goth looked over Daniel one more time before turning on her heels and walking away without saying anything to him.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Tori realized that Jade had, for some reason or another, seemingly calmed her attitude over the weekend, at least towards her. She was back to her normal self which, to most people, might not have seemed different from the way she was behaving last week but Tori could tell the difference. It was minuscule but it was there. 

And, while Tori would never admit it to anyone, she was glad to have this Jade back. The Jade who was still filled with razor-sharp edges; the Jade who left many bleeding and only a few unscathed; the Jade that Tori had begun to navigate, squeezing her way around and through the jagged parts to the treasure they protected. 

The only problem was that Tori struggled with maintaining a straight face around Jade. It was nearly impossible to look her in the eyes after the passionate scene she had witnessed in the bathroom. Every time she did, her mind was brought back to those few brief moments when she had accidentally entered Jade’s intimate, private world. 

And, begrudgingly, she admitted to herself that she kind of liked the way Jade looked in that bathroom.

* * *

Tori set down two glasses of lemonade at the kitchen table, watching silently for a moment as Daniel pulled up a Google Document on his midnight blue PearBook laptop. She bit her lip before blurting out. “Thank you for taking care of me this weekend.” 

Daniel smiled, clearly enjoying how flustered she was. She only saw half of the smile though, as the other half of his face was blocked by his black hoodie. “I told you I wasn’t mad about it.” 

She swiped loose strands of hair out of her face. “I know you did. But I still feel like I need to apologize for it."

“Look, Tori. I’m not exactly the most open person if you haven’t noticed.” She snorted in agreement. “This might sound dickish but if someone doesn’t give me a reason to get to know them, I’m not going to. I like being by myself. A lot.” 

“So, something made you want to get to know me enough that you got out of bed after one in the morning to pick me up from a party?” She framed the question in a playful way but she was genuinely touched. 

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me regret it.” He looked her up and down, noticing the way she leaned against the chair. “And would you please sit down? This is your house.” 

Realizing she had been standing this whole time, she quickly took the seat next to him before nudging the lemonade in his direction. “Try it.” 

Daniel took a sip, rolling the liquid around in his mouth before swallowing it. The resulting sigh that came out of his mouth told her he was satisfied. “It tastes-”

“Just like Chick-Fil-A lemonade?” she finished for him. 

He nodded his head before downing a rather large gulp. “How’d you do it?” 

“It’s a secret.” She loved teasing people with that line.

“Come on, tell me.” 

She leaned closer to him, cupping a hand over her mouth. “Gotta earn my trust first, Moretti.” 

He balanced his chin on his thumb, the rest of his knuckles underneath his nose. “Touché. Touché.” He turned his attention back to the laptop, adding her email to the document’s shared users. “So, any idea for how we should start?” 

“Well,” she contemplated for a minute, “it’s a love song about Arthur’s love for Adreana, the vampire, right?” Daniel nodded in affirmation. “So, maybe we should come up with a list of ways to describe his love and then go from there.” 

The two spitballed ideas back and forth. They started at the kitchen table before moving to the living room. There, they each sat on one of the couches facing the family room’s large television. Slowly, they began to piece together a coherent idea of how they wanted to portray Arthur’s love. The first time they were interrupted by Trina, they moved to the back patio. They were able to work there for a short time but eventually, neither of them could stand the chilly night air. The two of them ended up in her room, her on the bed and Daniel on her oversized pink beanbag. The color was a stark contrast to Daniel’s wardrobe choice. 

Yet, the spot typically reserved for her best friend seemed to suit him too. 

She quickly found herself trusting this boy.

* * *

“Hey, Daniel!” she called, making her way over to him through the crowd of students flooding the halls now that classes were out for lunch. 

He paused, setting down the book he had been holding in his hands and closing his locker. “Yo.” 

Her eyes glanced across his locker, a frown etched on her face as she was met with a mundane gray color. “Your locker isn’t decorated,” she stated the obvious.

“I know,” he replied, adjusting the strap on his backpack. 

She looked at him as if he had grown another head. “Um...you know every student is supposed to decorate their locker, right? It’s a Hollywood Arts tradition.” 

“I know. So?” Daniel must have realized he had done something wrong by her subsequent look, so he put his hands in the air before leaning back against the wall of lockers and waiting for her to continue. 

“So, you like have to do it. You’re supposed to come up with something creative...something that means a lot to you. And then you design your locker to reflect that. It’s _super_ fun.” She frowned. “I bet Jade didn’t have fun though. Her locker is decorated with scissors.” 

“It seems dumb.” Noticing the playful yet threatening glare on her face, he sighed. “But something tells me I’m not getting out of it. Tell you what,” he said, turning to walk to the Asphalt Café, “I’ll think about it while I eat lunch today and have it done by next week.” 

“Promise?” she asked, using her doe-eyes to her advantage. 

He nodded and once again turned. However, she caught his arm before he could leave and held up her pinky. She watched him expectedly as he stared at her finger. 

“Tori, I’m not pinky promising you,” he said, an amused expression on his face. 

She refused to move. So, she waited patiently for him to be the first to break. Now that Daniel had made it clear he wanted to be friends, she was going to be herself. And if part of her was still child-like and enjoyed the finer aspects of life, such as the treasured pinky promise, then Daniel was going to have to deal with it. 

The boy sighed in defeat before wrapping his pinky finger in hers, signifying the deal had been agreed to by both sides. “Okay, okay,” he said. “Promise. I’ll have it done by next week.” 

“Yay!” she giggled, fist-pumping.

“You’re ridiculous."

“Still wanna be my friend?” 

“I think it’s too late to back out. I signed the contract,” snarked Daniel. 

She liked this.

Once Tori’s pick had finally managed to crack Daniel’s ice, it was as if the whole cold exterior that surrounded him had come crashing down. It revealed someone who was quickly becoming a fast friend. A short, brown-eyed, emo-loving fast friend who apparently had an affinity for sarcasm and joking around. She would never have guessed his true personality a week ago. 

Now, if only she could get a certain _someone_ to be this open. 

But, _no_ , she had to be difficult. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Cat, who almost sent her roughly into the wall of lockers when the two girls collided. Thankfully, Daniel’s hand snatched Tori’s jacket sleeve and pulled her upright. Cat wasn’t so lucky. The impact of her crash with Tori caused her to trip over herself and fall to the ground. The ditzy redhead let out a yelp as she covered her face with the insides of her arms in an attempt to protect herself. The resulting grunt of pain made Tori cringe as she rushed to help her friend. Daniel joined her in her efforts and, together, they pulled Cat to her feet. 

“Cat!” exclaimed Tori. “Are you okay?” 

“Owie,” pouted the redhead, wetness pricking at the corners of her eyes. 

“Oh, Cat. Let me see.” Instantly, she went into overprotective mother mode. 

Tori extended the girl’s arms, facing her palms down. She inspected the damage to Cat’s outer arms, tenderly running her hands over the already purpling skin. The motions caused Cat to flinch. She tried to move away from Tori, but Tori held her in place. She slid her hands into Cat’s, holding them gently. “How bad does it hurt?”

Cat sniffled and, unable to hold in her tears anymore, burst out crying. “Bad,” she whimpered. 

“Want me to take you to the school nurse?” She was talking to Cat like the shorter girl was a child in an attempt to put her at ease. 

“Yes please.” The redhead used her white sleeve to wipe at her face. 

Tori turned to Daniel with a look of apology. 

He shook his head at her before mouthing “take care of her”.

Tori gave him a thumbs-up before walking away with a gentle hand on Cat’s arm. “Why were you running?” she asked, guiding Cat through the emptying hallways. 

“Jade,” mumbled Cat. “I said something she didn’t like. And then I got scared when she reached for her scissors so I locked her in the janitor’s closet.” 

Cat held up the key for emphasis and Tori’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. How the hell did her friend keep managing to get her hands on things she shouldn’t have? 

It took all of her efforts not to squeeze her hand harder around Cat’s arm in her surprise. To make sure she didn’t accidentally hurt her friend, she moved her grip down until Cat’s fingers interlaced with hers. “What...exactly did you say?” Tori asked with a sweet voice, deciding to ignore Cat’s thievery for the moment. 

Cat giggled through her sniffles, leaning her head into Tori’s neck to whisper. “Well, you know how Jade is always being mean to you but last week she was _way_ more mean than usual?”

Tori nodded. “Uh-huh.” 

“Well, I told her I thought maybe she was being mean to you because she likes you and she doesn’t want to admit it.” 

Tori’s cheeks grew bright red. _No. No. No. Oh God, now Jade is going to kill both of us_. “Likes me?” she stuttered. 

“Yeah, you know, as a friend,” hummed Cat. 

Tori wasn’t positive, but she thought she felt disappointment tug at her chest. “Oh.” 

She tried to shake the feeling. There was absolutely no reason for her to feel that way because she didn’t like Jade, not like that. 

But ever since Jade had taunted her with that air-kiss at lunch, she’d felt confused. 

And seeing Jade and Beck going at it over the weekend certainly didn’t help things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting. When I posted the first chapter, I had the first four mostly written but, when I looked over them again, I realized I wanted to make changes to chapters three and four. So, that is what I have been doing. 
> 
> Next chapter takes place mostly in the janitor's closet. And we all know what goes on in there.


End file.
